1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method which can add various information to an image, and to a storage medium which stores such a method.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, various techniques have been developed to suppress that a negotiable paper such as a bank note or the like is forged by using a single-body image copy machine such as a color copy machine or the like to be unfairly used.
For example, in one technique, additional information (e.g., machine number of copy machine) is added to an image which is copied and produced by a color copy machine, in a state that the additional information is difficult for human eyes to perceive. That is, since the additional information is patternized and then added to only a yellow component of the color image to be copied and produced, the information becomes difficult for human eyes to perceive.
Thus, when the illegally or unfairly formed image is found, it is possible to detect which copy machine (i.e., image formation unit) was used to copy the image, by analyzing the additional information added to the image.
On the other hand, in addition to the problem of negotiable paper, there is some fear that a copyright, a likeness right, a trademark right or the like is infringed or trespassed even on an image such as a picture, a photograph, a video, an animation character or the like. In such a case, the above technique is also effective.
Further, in recent years, functions of a computer system and peripheral apparatuses for inputting and outputting image data, such as a scanner, a printer and the like have improved year by year. Therefore, in a case where image forming is performed by using such plural image processing apparatuses, the high-quality image such as the negotiable paper or the like can be formed.
Furthermore, since network technique such as an internet or the like has progressed, the image data can be transferred from one image processing apparatus to another distant image processing apparatus.
Under these circumstances, in order to prevent such illegal actions, it is insufficient that the image processing apparatus for adding the additional information only adds the additional information to specify or identify this image processing apparatus itself. This is because the plural image processing apparatuses which participated in the illegal actions can not be specified or identified only by the additional information.
Furthermore, the information for specifying the apparatus itself, such as the machine number, a type number or the like, has been conventionally used as the above additional information.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described related background art, and an object of thereof is to suppress or restrain, in case of managing image data among plural image processing apparatuses, that such the image data is illegally or unfairly used, as much as possible.
In other words, another object of the present invention is to add, in addition to conventional additional information, further-effective additional information to an input image in a state that the additional information is difficult for human eyes to perceive.
Concretely, the object of the present invention is to process, in case of outputting the image data representing an image to an external apparatus, such the image data not to be used illegally or unfairly.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided an image processing apparatus which is connected to the external apparatus being an output destination of the image data, the image processing apparatus comprising:
an input means for inputting the image data representing the image;
an addition means for adding the additional information capable of specifying or identifying the external apparatus to the image data inputted by the input means, in a state that the additional information is difficult to be perceived by the human eyes; and
an output means for outputting the image data to which the additional information was added by the addition means, to the external apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to process, in case of inputting the image data from an image pickup apparatus capable of generating the image data by reading the image, such the image data not to be used illegally or unfairly.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided an image processing apparatus which is connected to the image pickup apparatus for generating the image data by reading the image, the image processing apparatus comprising:
an input means for inputting the image data from the image pickup apparatus;
an addition means for adding the additional information capable of specifying or identifying the image pickup apparatus to the image data inputted by the input means, in the state that the additional information is difficult to be perceived by the human eyes; and
an output means for outputting the image data to which the additional information was added by the addition means.
A further another object of the present invention is to suppress or restrain the illegal use of the image data by not adding such information specifying the apparatus itself as in the related background art but adding another additional information.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided an image processing apparatus which operates by using a predetermined software, the apparatus comprising:
an input means for inputting the image data representing the image;
an addition means for adding the additional information capable of specifying or identifying the predetermined software to the image data inputted by the input means, in the state that the additional information is difficult to be perceived by the human eyes; and
an output means for outputting the image data to which the additional information was added by the addition means.
A further another object of the present invention is to further suppress or restrain the illegal use of the image data by not adding such the information specifying the apparatus itself as in the related background art but adding another additional information.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is provided an image processing apparatus which is connected to the external apparatus, the image processing apparatus comprising:
an input means for inputting the image data;
a color process means for performing a color process on the image data inputted by the input means, in a method suitable for the external apparatus;
an addition means for adding a code specifying or identifying the method of the color process to the image data, in a state that the code is difficult to be perceived by the human eyes; and
an output means for outputting the image data to which the code was added by the addition means.